News:
The stories I have selected for this section cover primarily local issues. From walkouts that interrogated our school's relationship with marginalized students and sparked a cultural shift to our school's first musical production post-COVID, I learned how to incorporate human interest into news pieces to provide connective and compelling content. Above all, I hope my dedication to accuracy, clarity, and detail that came as a result of investigative interviews and research analysis exemplifies my careful and determined attitude as a student journalist.
This article was the first breaking news piece I wrote for The Cougar Chronicle. Covering this walkout shoved me into the deep end of news coverage and investigative reporting. Alongside my co-author, I tracked down sources during and following the walkout to gather quotes and followed leads given to us via social media and the organizers' speeches. I also learned the importance of balancing unbiased reporting with human interest incorporation, ensuring the content we produced was factual yet provided in-depth insight into the experiences of students of color, working to achieve our mission of elevating and empowering community voices. However, if I were to write this article today with the knowledge I now possess, I would strive to include administrative perspectives on the walkout and their plans for responding to accusations of ignorance and negligence from walkout participants.
"We Say Gay" was a second widely-attended walkout, organized by a transgender student in our school to advocate against anti-queer and anti-trans bills being introduced or passed in other states' legislatures. This was another story that required regular staff check-ins and self-introspection to ensure it was published to cover an event and not incorporate personal experiences. Additionally, many attendees expressed vulnerabilities that would have otherwise gone unshared, adding to the layers of cautious reporting. This walkout coverage differed from the first, both in the walkout's purpose and in the nationalization of the issue; because it stemmed from a political issue and not one culturally unique to our school, we had access to more research and national news coverage that aided us in publishing a thorough and accurate news piece.
"Legally Blonde: The Musical" was our school's 2023 spring production. The school's excitement was nearly tangible, and students were extremely eager to not only watch the performances but get a look into the behind-the-scenes production - which is where we had the opportunity to jump in. The construction of these coverage pieces were filled with a lot of joy and laughter from all sides of the story; it was deeply encouraging and motivating to be around that many passionate, talented, and motivated theater students as we explored their worlds and lives on stage and in the rehearsal rooms. I was the lead of this aspect of the project, coming into rehearsals for photos and interviews and attending the dress rehearsal for photos to include in the opening night piece. Overall, this series project was a lot of work as well as a lot of fun, and publishing its final piece was exhilarating.
